Garbage classification area in a community in Guangzhou
"How can the effect of waste sorting be maintained for a long time? Professor Mary Harder from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Fudan University specifically targets the communities we are cooperating with, and analyzes 12 key elements from the perspective of human sustainable behavior research. Professor Mary feels that we have captured most of them, which is why we have been more successful in promoting garbage classification." Song Hui, who carries a thermos cup all the year round and hardly buys bottled water, told reporters.
Song Hui is the director-general of the Aifen Environmental Technology Advisory Service Center in Jing'an District, Shanghai. This non-governmental organization has been established for nearly 10 years. At present, the governments at all levels in Shanghai have purchased its services and have promoted waste classification in more than 300 communities. , Covering more than 180,000 households, and achieving good results. "According to a survey by Fudan University (take 40 communities as a sample), most of the communities we intervened were able to separate kitchen waste (wet) garbage at a rate of more than 70% , This data exceeds London."
In daily life, what are the factors that determine whether a person does not litter?
What factors make people develop the habit of garbage sorting?
Song Hui introduced their practical experience to all media reporters of Guangzhou Daily.
Text, picture/Guangzhou Daily full media reporter Wu Wei, Zhang Dan
On December 10 last year, at the National Urban Domestic Waste Classification Work Meeting held by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, my country announced that 46 key cities, including Shanghai and Guangzhou, have basically completed domestic waste classification systems.
The “Guangdong Standard” for garbage classification also came into being. The latest "Guangdong Province Urban and Rural Domestic Waste Management Regulations" stipulates that if domestic garbage is not put in accordance with the classification regulations, and the circumstances are serious, individuals will be fined between 100 yuan and 500 yuan. .
Garbage classification has once again become a hot topic for the whole people. Now that the legal system has been established, the human behavior motivation behind garbage classification is also worth exploring.
The behavior lasts for 6 months before it becomes a habit
Song Hui told reporters that expert research has found that if a person’s behavior lasts for 6 months, he will develop a habit, and this habit will not be easily changed. “We must develop the habit of garbage sorting, based on our practice over the years. From a point of view, volunteers are very important. In addition, objectively, the details of whether the garbage wing is not clean and whether there is a sink next to the garbage wing are also critical. We have observed that if the garbage wing is dirty and smelly, people are not. Will be willing to approach the garbage wing, everyone will gradually'fly' the garbage, and the environment will get worse and worse..." Song Hui introduced that garbage sorting is the most persistent thing to develop this "new fashion" behind. There are 12 elements of behavior change. "These 12 elements were put forward by Professor Mary after studying the community. They are 1. Knowledge: Let residents clearly understand that garbage classification is a serious matter; 2. Role: Make sure everyone knows it. Their respective responsibilities; 3. Social consensus: Let residents feel that this is a meaningful thing; 4. Trust in ability: Believe that your community can be successful and participants have the corresponding ability; 5. Trust in results: Community Residents believe that their actions will make a difference; 6. Skills: some specific means, such as relying on the power of volunteers; 7. Emotion: pay attention to the residents’ positive or negative emotions; 8. Facilities and resources: clean garbage compartments , Hand-washing sinks, distribute kitchen waste bins to residents; 9. Reminders and attention: good publicity methods and clear signs, etc.; 10. Motivation: residents need further motivation and incentives; 11. Behavior planning: help residents Develop feasible classification plans; 12. Habit cultivation: Develop some plans that are conducive to cultivating residents’ habits."
In practice, there are still some factors that hinder people from practicing garbage classification. Song Hui's team is also actively making improvements.
For example, Shanghai requires everyone to remove trash bags when throwing away kitchen waste, but many people will get their hands dirty, so they will build a sink next to the trash can for residents to wash their hands. In winter, they will also prepare for them. Wash hands with hot water.
"In practice, we must find and summarize some of the factors that hinder people from practicing garbage classification, so as to ensure the continuation of garbage classification." Song Hui said.
Mobilize "activists" from the community
As early as 2011, Song Hui and his partners explored the promotion of garbage classification in the community in the form of an environmental protection charity group.
After they enter the community, they first conduct a survey on the community’s garbage classification, including the hardware facilities in the community, the output of garbage, and the residents’ awareness of garbage classification, etc. They also need to understand the attitudes of various stakeholders, including Relevant government functional departments in and outside the community, as well as companies that transport garbage.
"Our experience is that only by the joint efforts of all parties, can we do a good job of sorting garbage, and only rely on a social organization, or a community property, or a single related functional department of the government to promote the garbage classification. It is difficult. Residents will always be the main body of waste sorting." Song Hui said that every time their survey questionnaire ended up with the same question-would you like to become a volunteer for waste sorting in the community?
"In this way, we have found some volunteers who are enthusiastic about garbage sorting. Our philosophy is that we must mobilize the forces within the community. These volunteers living in the community are the most suitable. Today, waste sorting emphasizes party building leadership. , More and more community party members have become our volunteers." Song Hui said that every community in Shanghai is "crouching tiger, hiding dragon", even a community with more than 100 households may have influence in it. A lot of people come to support garbage sorting.
In a community where Song Hui first started garbage sorting, there lived a veteran artist of Shanghai comic drama. After communication and understanding, he was very supportive of garbage sorting.
"Like this old artist, as long as it is something he recognizes, he is very willing to devote himself to it. At the Mid-Autumn Festival that year, he compiled, created, and performed a drama on garbage sorting, and performed it for the residents of the community. It has achieved a very good effect, so far the garbage classification in this community has also been done very well."
Song Hui told reporters that the first community they did in 2011 was that they recruited some local volunteers from the local streets to enter the community together in the morning and evening to do garbage sorting instructions. After a few months, the residents have developed a habit. , They slowly retreated, and the community still maintains a good classification habit.
When used as the second community, it really mobilized the "activists" in the community, including representatives of the industry committee, party members of the party branch, and volunteers who are enthusiastic about garbage sorting. These people are organized for training and together Promote the garbage classification in the community.
"Volunteers are a key factor. They will stand by the garbage disposal point to instruct people on how to sort garbage, and they will also come to the door for publicity. The development of habit requires persistence." And Song Hui said that if people find that people are sorting garbage wrongly Volunteers should also pay attention to "strategic tactics", "We cannot criticize recklessly, let alone re-categorize them in front of them. Instead, we should focus on encouragement and politely tell them how to divide them. Don’t make the wrong vote."
Sum up the experience of "three phases and ten steps"
For a long time in the community to promote waste sorting, Aifen Environmental also summarized a set of "three phases and ten steps" for waste sorting, which was used as an experience to promote to other communities.
"These three'periods' are very long. The'introduction period' is about 3 months, the'execution period' is 2 to 3 months, and the'maintenance period' is a longer-term process." Song Hui introduced, "Introduction The "period" includes five steps: community research, work groups, hardware facilities, publicity and mobilization, and personnel training, while the "execution period" includes three steps: formal initiation, on-duty supervision and community incentives, and the "duration period" includes summary Evaluation and system construction.
"In specific implementation, if a certain link is not fully done, it may lead to poor final results." Song Hui said, "Our public welfare organization will infiltrate the community for about half a year, and then how effective is the garbage classification? It depends on the result of later system construction."
Song Hui gave an example. A certain community in Shanghai started garbage classification in 2012, and there are still volunteers who inspect the garbage classification every day.
After they withdrew, the Owner’s Committee took over the “big banner” and wrote the requirements for waste classification into the community property management requirements. Whenever new residents move in, they will be informed of the actual situation of waste classification in the community. Therefore, the participation rate of waste classification in the community is still maintained at a very high level. “Shanghai and Guangzhou are cities with very large floating populations, and the mobility of residents in the community is high, so this is what we need to pay attention to.” Song Hui said. .
Song Hui believes that it will take some time to really do a good job of garbage classification. “The work of garbage classification will become a refined management in the future. The classification of garbage is not only an environmental protection issue, but also an urban management issue. It also involves To all aspects of society." Song Hui said.
Reporter's Notes:
Face-to-face promotion is most effective
Let residents become the subject of classification
Garbage sorting is a "new fashion" and also a new habit.
In order for community residents who did not have the habit of classification to develop this habit, both legal protection and the recognition of residents are needed. In the interview, the reporter realized that this requires more face-to-face publicity.
Shanghai Baoyun Building is a well-known excellent waste sorting community in Shanghai, and there are many experiences worthy of our consideration.
The Baoyun Building is 25 stories high, with 10 households on each floor. In the past 10 households shared a trash can on one floor. In October 2016, after many on-site inspections and interviews, Aifen Environmental proposed that the premise of effective garbage classification in the community High-level withdrawal of barrels.
In order to promote the residents to reach this consensus, the community has continuously mobilized to carry out the work of removing buckets and the promotion of garbage classification information in an orderly manner.
A blackboard newspaper was specially set up in the small area. Aifen Environmental also held a community training meeting to organize everyone to visit the waste sorting back-end treatment plant. The volunteer team even carried out door-to-door publicity to patiently explain the benefits of withdrawing bins and the waste classification. Claim.
After more than 5 months of preliminary preparations, the community officially started garbage classification in March 2017.
However, there are still various problems after the launch. For example, it is difficult for residents to adapt to the disposal of garbage bags; the proportion of tenants is high, 30% to 40% are tenants, because it is early or late to go to get off work, it is difficult for volunteers to promote it; There are still a small number of residents who are unwilling to withdraw the bucket, and some people throw it directly into the public trash can outside the community.
Faced with these difficulties, the community has done three major tasks.
The first is to establish consensus.
The community communicates with residents in a timely manner through blackboard newspapers, WeChat groups, etc., and informs the community of various matters, so that residents can reach a consensus in the discussion of specific events.
The second is to create an atmosphere.
The community insists on playing a role model, establishing three households as a model, sharing good people and deeds in the community's WeChat group, and giving residents and volunteers spiritual encouragement.
Volunteers will give verbal praise and gratitude to the residents who have done a good job of sorting garbage; and give enthusiastic guidance to the residents who have not developed the habit of sorting.
In this way, garbage classification will gradually form an atmosphere in the community.
The third is to mobilize emotions.
The community organizes a year-end summary meeting every year to positively publicize the contributions of advanced individuals and volunteers.
Today, the participation rate of waste sorting in Baoyun Building has reached 95%.
With the continuous advancement of waste sorting, the interpersonal relationship and human relations within the community have undergone a good change.
Garbage sorting is a work that needs to be carried forward in particular, and to do this well, we must mobilize residents to become the main body.